JACKY TERRASSON & CASSANDRA WILSON “Rendezvous” Blue Note * * *

Cassandra Wilson makes a welcome return to her jazz roots in an attractive collection dominated by standard tunes. Her partnership with pianist Jacky Terrasson was a particularly good idea, because both artists seem to enjoy approaching familiar material from an offbeat point of view.

“There’s really no point in covering standards if you’re not going to make them sound fresh or new,” says Terrasson, “and I get a kick out of disguising them.”

Terrasson and Wilson have done something more than disguise such pieces as “Old Devil Moon” and “I Remember You.” They have cast them in unexpected new light.

On the old chestnut pop tune “Tennessee Waltz,” for example, Terrasson plays a funk-styled electric piano, as Wilson’s dark, throaty sound caresses the lyrics in a way that brings pointed sensuality to the familiar lyrics. Other numbers are equally compelling: the pensive qualities of “Little Boy Lost” (one of the more enchanting works from Michel Legrand and Marilyn and Alan Bergman), the rhythmically disjunct settings of “It Might as Well Be Spring” and “Tea for Two,” and the unexpectedly grooving version of “My Ship.” On three numbers, Terrasson goes it alone, either with a rhythm section or, as in the closing “Chicago 1987,” via introspective solo piano.

The mood throughout the album is dark and thoughtful. These are not interpretations that reach out to grab the listeners. But there are ample rewards for listeners willing to take the time to go with Terrasson’s and Wilson’s always mesmerizing readings.

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